Can closure



CAN CLOSURE Filed July 22, 1959 .hhiw ql inu.

INVENTOR. HE BERT GOLDSHMIDT ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,992,755 CANCLOSURE Herbert Goldschmidt, 45 Amherst Place, Livingston, NJ.

Filed July 22, 1959, Ser. No. 828,904

3 Claims. (Cl. 220-40) My invention relates generally to can closuresand specifically to can closures which incorporate a tamperproof seal,sealing means, and a seal breaker.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a can closure whichseals a can until a portion thereof is broken off to enable the closureto be opened.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a can closure whichmay be unsealed and rescaled.

Yet a further object of my invention isto provide a can closure withunseating means.

These objects and advantages as well as other objects and advantages maybe achieved by the device illustrated in the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a can having engaging means to receive mycan closure;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a can to which my can closure hasbeen applied;

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective showing my can closure disengaged fromthe can;

FIGURE 4 is a view showing a portion of the locking arm; and

FIGURE 5 is a view in perspective showing the can closure positioned onthe top of a can.

Referring now to the drawings in detail which show an embodiment of myinvention, there is illustrated a pair of diametrical arms 11, 12 ofunitary construction joined together at the center by a circular portion13. The arms 11, 12 are not arranged planar with the circular portion 13but are joined thereto by bent portions 14, 15. The ends of the arms 11,12 are provided with up turned portions 16, 17 which define stops. Thesestops 16, 17 are disposed on opposite longitudinal edges of the arms 11,12. Opposite the stops 16, 17 and integral with the arms 11, 12 thereare formed enlargements 18, 19. These enlargements are deformeddownwardly from the plane of the arms 11, 12 and constitute cam surfacesto engage a latch which exerts pressure on the arms to firmly lock theclosure in place. One of the enlargements 18 is provided with anupstanding portion 20. This upstanding portion 20 is a detent whichprevents the closure from being easily opened. The upstanding portion 20or detent is provided with a shear line 21. The arms 11 and 12 areformed of relatively resilient metal. The detent 20 when deformed withrespect to the cam surface 18 will readily shear off along the line 21.A readily deformable plug 22 is applied to the underside of the circularportion 13. A handle 23 passes through the circular portion 13 and theplug 22 and terminates in a brush or applicator 24.

A can 25 is the container for material which is to be closed and sealed.The can is provided with a top-plate 26. The top of the plate 26 has acentral opening 27. Secured to the top 26 in some suitable manner, bywelding or by solder, etc; a strap 28 is applied. This strap is formedwith an annual central enlargement 29. The enlargement 29 has a centralaperture 30. The peripheral edge of the enlargement 29 is provided witha pair of arcuate, generally vertically perpendicular cam surfaces 31,32. These surfaces at the top, are positioned to engage the underportion of the arms 11 and 12 and raise the plug 22 from engagement withthe aperture 27. Thus, when the plug 22 becomes engaged with theaperture 27 by reason of dried material such as glue, the arms 11, 12ride up the cam surfaces 61, 32 and serve to break the seal of the plug22 by reason of its engagement with glue disposed about the edges of theopening 27. Thus,

the cam surfaces 31, 32 serve to unseat the plug 22 and break the seal.The outer ends of the strap 28 are provided with an upstanding portion33, 34 disposed generally vertically, and a bent-over portion 35, 36generally horizontal and parallel with the main portion of the strap 28.Each of the horizontal portions 35, 36 are provided with upturned camsurfaces 37, 38 which are designed to engage with the cam surfaces 18,19 in order to firmly seat the plug 22 in the opening 27.

When the can 25 is filled through the opening 27 with material to bedispensed by the brush 24, the closure 39 is applied to the opening 27and the arm 11 is deformed so that the detent 20 will slip under thehorizontal portion 36 and the arm 12 will slip under the horizontalportion 35. In this position, as shown in FIGURE 5, the closure 39'sealsthe opening 27 against discharge of the contents of the can 25. Withoutthe application of extreme pressure, the closure 39 cannot be removedfrom the can 25 by reason of the abutment of the detent 20 with thehorizontal surface 36. It will be seen that these horizontal surfaces35, 36 define latches to hold the arms 11, 12 so that the plug 22 islocked in place. When it is desired to open the closure, the detent 20is broken oif on the shear line 21 and the arms 11, 12 may then beeasily rotated so that the closure 39 may be lifted from the aperture27. Sealing is subsequently efiected by engagement of the cam surfaces18, 19 with the overlying cam surfaces 37, 38 thereby forcing the endsof the arms 11, 12 under the latches 35, 36. Solidified materialcollected around the plug 22 is broken as a seal by the action of thecam surfaces 31, 32 on the arms 11, 12 as they are rotated.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodimentof the invention. The component parts have been shown and described.They each may have substitutes which may perform a substantially similarfunction. Such substitutes may be known as proper substitutes for thesaid components and may have actually been known or invented before thepresent invention; these substitutes are contemplated as being withinthe scope of the appended claims, although they are not specificallycatalogued herein.

I claim:

1. A can closure comprising a plug, a pair of resilient radial arms onthe plug, a can having an orifice, a pair of arcuate cam-surfaces on thecan adjacent to the orifice and engageable with the arms on rotation, apair of latches attached to the top of the can and positioned to engagethe ends of the arms, an upturned cam-surface on each of the latches, agenerally horizontal surface on each of the latches, a correspondingdownturned camsurface on the end of each of the arms engageable with thecam-surfaces on the latches and adapted to resiliently deform the armsdownwardly to frictionally and resiliently engage the said horizontalsurfaces, an up-turned portion on opposite side-edges of each of thearms, the upturned portions engageable with the latches to limit theprogressive engagement of the arms with the latches, a detent on aside-edge of one of the arms opposite to the up-turned portion, ashear-line at the bottom of the detent.

2. A can closure comprising a readily deformable plug,

a pair of resilient radial arms on the plug,

a first portion on the arms adjacent to the plug extending upwardly andradially,

a second portion on the arms adjacent to the first portion extendinghorizontally and radially,

a can having an orifice,

a pair of arcuate cam-surfaces on the can adjacent to the orifice andengageable with the arms on rotation,

a pair of latches attached to the top of the can and positioned toengage the ends of the arms,

an upturned cam-surface on each of the latches,

a generally horizontal surface on each of the latches,

a corresponding downturned cam-surface ion the I end of each of the armsengageable with the cam-surface on the latches and adapted toresiliently deform the arms downwardly to frictionally and resilientlyengage the said horizontal surfaces,

an upturned portion on opposite side-edges of each of the arms, theupturned portions engageable with the latches to limit the progressiveengagement of the arms with the latches,

a detent on a side-edge of-one of the arms opposite the upturnedportion, and

ashear-line at the bottom of the detent.

3. A can closure comprising a readily deformable plug,

a pair of resilient, radial arms 01111116 plug,

a first portion on the arms adjacent to the plug extending upwardly andradially,

a second portion on the arms adjacent to the first portion extendinghorizontally and radially,

a can having an orifice,

a strap secured to the can diametrical to the orifice in the can,

an annular enlargement on the strap intermediate its ends having anopening generally coaxial with the orifice in the can,

a pair of arcuate, upstanding, cam-surfaces formed on the annularenlargement, and engageable with the arms upon rotation,

a pair of latches formed on the ends of the strap,

an upturned cam-surface on each of the latches,

a generally horizontal surface on each of the latches, the ends of thearms normally extending above the horizontal surfaces on the latches,

a downturned cam-surface on'the end of 'each of the arms normallyextending below the upturned cam-surface on each of the latches andengageable therewith upon rotation of the arms to resiliently deform thearms downwardly to frictionally and resiliently engage the saidhorizontal surfaces,

an upturned portion on opposite side edges of each of the arms, theupturned portions engageable with the latches to limit progressiveengagement of the arms with the latches,

a detent on a side-edge of one of the arms opposite the upturnedportion, and

a. shear-line at the bottom of the detent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS578,123 Gerpen Mar. 2, 1897 669,159 Davids Mar. 5, 1901 1,369,754 NixonFeb. 22, 1921 1,470,210 White Oct. 9, 1923 2,206,664 Davis July 2, 19402,635,271 Auten Apr. 21, 1953 2,637,463 Burkhardt May 5, 1953

